MAGNETIC TRANSPORT SYSTEMS (MTS) HAS DEVELOPED A GAME-CHANGING BREAKTHROUGH RAILROAD TECHNOLOGY-continued.
MagLEVrail Technology - Phase II
What is it:
MagLevRail is the first very low-cost maglev system that can levitate off of passive steel railroad tracks without the costly guideway, electric windings or wayside power required in all previous maglev systems.
- Permanent magnets allow perpetual levitation of a railcar platform capable of carrying double-stacked shippingcontainers without wayside power.
- Operates without interfering with conventional railroad operations.
- Levitating railcars can be combined with conventional locomotives.
How It Works:
MagLevRail utilizes a revolutionary new approach to maglev systems.
Instead of using magnetic attraction or repulsion as in all previously developed maglev systems, MagLevRail utilized forces at a 90-degree angle to previous systems using permanent magnets. The magnetic bearing design is based on the need to control magnetic flux patterns to maintain control over the permanent magnet's levitation in at least one direction of freedom. This is accomplished by a low-power computer/sensing system on the vehicle with magnetic coils designed to supplement the permanent magnetic forces
to maintain magnetic equilibrium while hovering around the rails.
- Two limited infrastructure enhancements are required:
- Limited track modification consisting of using a steel rail design with a concrete base in place of the current steel rail base.
- Bending track switches allows either MagLEVrail or conventional rail track changes.
- Standard bogies fitted with the magnetic bearing configuration allows for the required magnetic tolerances and with articulating bogies allows for sharp turns as tight as a 50-meter radius.
Particularly suited for:
- Dense urban environments where air and noise pollution are important considerations
- All other uses under which conventional railroads operate coexistently
Combining MagRail and MagLevRail Technologies:
Combining the MagLevRail and MagRail technologies allows for a two-phased transformation
of existing rail infrastructure to (1) a low-cost electric railroad conversion, followed by (2) an even lower cost conversion to full maglev operation, all on existing railroad rights-of-way whose capital cost is similar to that of an existing diesel or electric train system and operates at less than one half the operating cost of a conventional diesel rail system due to the efficient LSM propulsion system and the lack of friction between the vehicle and the rails.
Financial Benefits:
- Energy cost is less than one half the energy cost of conventional diesel rail systems
- Eliminates the cost of wheel repairs and replacements as there are no wheels
- Eliminates wear on the tracks as there is no physical contact between the magnetic bearings and the track
- Substantial reduction in maintenance cost as there are no moving motor parts to wear out
- Substantial savings in fuel cost as there is no rolling resistance or friction between the vehicle and the track requiring less energy
- Capital cost similar to conventional railroad systems but with the added benefits created by the use of the non-contact technologies
Social Benefits:
- Zero emissions
- Quiet
- Collisions between trains are impossible
Operational Benefits:
- Able to traverse 10% grades
- Regenerative braking produces an additional 30% energy to supplement the operation of the system and reduce energy costs
- Capable of moving individual railcars or entire trains remotely or by on-board operations
- Can maintain train headways of as little as 20 seconds
- Capable of very high speeds, faster acceleration and braking